How to Grade the Front Yard
If you have problems with water leaking into your home or basement after a heavy rain, or if you see water pooling in front of your house, you may need to regrade your front lawn. Doing this will provide a slope that will take water away from your house and eliminate pooling and leakage problems. Renting equipment, following a few steps and getting some friends to help can make this a one-day project that will leave you will long lasting results. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Pound a wooden stake into the ground next to one of the corners on the side of your home that faces the front yard. Make sure it is at least 12 inches off the ground. Pound another stake in at your property line. If you have a sidewalk, make sure the stake is up against the sidewalk. Keep the stake height at least 12 inches off the ground. Repeat this process on the opposite side of your front yard.
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Tie string lines around the stakes by the house and attach them to the stakes by the property line. Do not connect the string lines by the property line as you will need an access point. Use a string line to make the string lines level. Use a hammer to pound in the stakes to adjust height until the strings are level all the way around. Measure off the line to the ground to determine the pitch of the ground. If the measurement goes up as you get away from the house, the ground is sloping away from the house. If the measurement is going down, the ground is sloping toward the house. A quarter inch is needed to move water properly. If you have less than this, you need to regrade your yard.
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Rent a skid loader. This machine looks intimidating but is very simple to operate once you get used to it. Have the rental company drop it off and give you a quick tutorial on how to operate the machine.
Once you understand how to operate the loader, go into your lined area and lay the bucket flat against the grass and move forward. You will notice you are tearing up the surface of the grass. Dump all dirt by your driveway's curb for easy clean up later. Now have a helper measure from the line how far you need to dig down. Adjust your bucket and move forward. As you move forward, slowly raise the bucket as you want the area next to the house to be taller than the area you are digging up. If you have a sidewalk, remember that you can't go lower than your sidewalk. Repeat this process across the marked area. Next, starting as close to the house as you are comfortable getting, drag your bucket on the surface to flatten it out. Repeat this all the way across. If you notice humps, drag across that area again or dig the area out. Continue until you are satisfied with the slope of the yard. Check often. -
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Grab a rake and start raking the yard. Turn the soil and loosen the top layer with your rake. Make sure you are taking out any high spots while at the same time making sure you do not take too much out of any area. Stand back every so often and look at your yard. Fix any undulations with your rake. Check your lines one more time to make sure everything is proper, then pull out your stakes and reel up your line.
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